Art of Cool Festival brings hip-hop legend Run-DMC to Durham

From Sept. 27 to 29, the Art of Cool Festival will come to Durham with performances from multiple bands, including Run-DMC and singers such as Jill Scott. 

Marcus Anderson, a saxophonist who will be performing at the Art of Cool Festival, is a fusion jazz artist who has charted number one on Billboard's Smooth Jazz and Sirius XM's Watercolors with his song, "Cup of Joe."

"It's kind of diverse, centered more around jazz, R&B and soul," Anderson said about his music.

Anderson has also made appearances with headliners on TV shows such as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon."

"I also learned how to play a few other instruments," Anderson said. "I learned piano, flute and bass. I also sing and dance as well."

Lesleigh Mausi, co-owner and vice president of the Art of Cool Festival, said this is her and her husband's second year of owning the festival.

"Basically the festival is just all about bringing genres of music together in one place," Lesleigh said. "It started off being about jazz and jazz occult music, but since my husband and I have purchased it, we've found that jazz-inspired music really means many different genres."

Lesleigh said there are many genres that have been impacted and influenced by jazz, which is why they have been able to incorporate neo-soul, hip-hop and a lot of other genres.

"It's just a collection of all these different sounds, and I think it's really a reflection of the spirit of Durham," Lesleigh said. "We're a progressive city and we have a rich history of entrepreneurship, which is definitely what the festival celebrates. We're a small business ourselves, and during the Art of Cool Festival we employ other small businesses to help us."

Lesleigh said the festival is brought together by a team of small businesses. They try to shed light on them, she said, along with local artists and creatives as well.

"I'm a classically-trained pianist, so it's really great to see artists out here who mesh different genres together," Lesleigh said.

Lesleigh said Saturday's lineup is going to focus more on hip-hop, and the legendary Run-DMC will be headlining. She said this is special because they haven't played on a North Carolina stage in over 30 years. 

"Anytime you can get legends like Run-DMC to come and grace the stage, it's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Lesleigh said.

Lesleigh said other hip hop legends Big Daddy Kane and BJ The Chicago Kid will be hitting the stage as well, along with up-and-coming bands.

"I think festival attendees will gain insight on what the Art of Cool Festival is and where our heart lies, and that is with the community,” Lesleigh said.

Sulaiman Mausi, president and co-owner of the Art of Cool Festival, said there is a wide variety of music and something for everybody.

"We have over 20 acts and six different venues, so one ticket for one night you can go to six different venues and see everything from DJ'ing to Ari Lennox," Sulaiman said. "You can go down and see Emotional Oranges, so it's one price fits all."

Sulaiman said he believes the festival is a perfect mix of new up-and-coming artists and the greats. He said they also have a variety of different vendors from around the area.

"We have a lot of people traveling in from around the country, so it gives them the chance to experience North Carolina if they've never been or haven't been to the Durham area," Sulaiman said. "It has changed and grown so much, so it gives a positive spotlight on the entire weekend. The weather's perfect, and it will be a phenomenal musical evening."

arts@dailytarheel.com